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Fitchburg State wins MASCAC title in a thriller

By Matt Stewart, Correspondent

Updated:
02/27/2016 08:30:20 PM EST

FITCHBURG -- After a Senior Night victory over Salem State earlier this season, Fitchburg State University men's basketball head coach Titus Manderson predicted the teams' next meeting would be a close one.

Manderson's premonition came true on both fronts: The Falcons got a third crack at the Vikings and prevailed in a thriller.

Josh Bosworth sank two of the biggest free throws of his life with 20.4 seconds left to give his team a four-point lead, before a strong defensive stand and a clutch defensive rebound by Jaleel Bell sealed Saturday's 82-78 victory over No. 2 Salem State in the MASCAC tournament championship game. The win gave the Falcons their first conference title since the 2012-13 season.

Fitchburg State (18-9) advances to the NCAA tournament after winning their third conference title in program history. The NCAA pairings will be released on Monday.

Salem State (16-11) looked as though it would earn the top seed in the MASCAC tournament right up until the final day of the regular season, when a shift in the standings allowed the Falcons to win the tiebreaker for first place. That turn of events turned out to be a difference-maker, allowing FSU to host Saturday's championship game.

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"It had all the makings of a championship game," Manderson said. "It was tight, it was nerve-racking. The guys played very well. There were a lot of stressful spots during the game where we had to make big plays. We hit some crucial free throws and limited turnovers, and I thought the guys played with a lot of poise down the stretch."

The Falcons' once-comfortable lead shrank to a single possession over the course of the final few minutes. After both teams matched layups with a little over a minute to go, Bell got to the free throw line, making one of two with 52 seconds left, pushing the Falcon lead to four points.

After working the ball around the outside, Salem's Marcus Faison took it from the perimeter, dribbling toward the paint, and when the Falcon defense came over to help, Faison found Shyheim Davis for a wide-open layup underneath on the left side, cutting the deficit to 80-78 with 36.6 seconds left.

The Falcons needed points in a big way on their next possession. Bosworth took the ball from up top but was fouled as he made his way toward the basket.

Bosworth hit the first and just as smoothly swished the second, making it an 82-78 lead with 20 seconds to play.

Salem went into desperation mode, attempting to the get the ball inside with 13 seconds left. Viking forward Davis nearly turned the ball over, fighting for it on the ground before getting it back out to the perimeter.

With time ticking, Jacob Lindland put up an off-balance, desperation trey from the corner that hit neither backboard nor rim, and Fitchburg State's Bell jumped in the air to snag the critical defensive rebound.

Salem fouled Bell (16 points, 10 rebounds) immediately. With just 4.7 seconds left, Bell missed both freebies, but Salem State's 3-point attempt at the buzzer banked off the rim and the Falcon faithful stormed the court.

"Salem gave us everything they could," Manderson said. "It was a great job by them, they're a well-coached team and I have a lot of respect for their program. It was privilege to be on the court with them for this championship, but it means more to get the win."

It was a back-and-forth affair for much of the contest, with 10 ties and eight lead changes throughout the game. In the final minute of the first half the Falcons went on a 7-0 run -- a Bosworth drive, a Givaughn Jones pull-up and a Lance Hill trey in the corner -- which gave the Falcons a 42-37 advantage at the half.

Jones finished with a team-high 20 points, adding six rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

The Falcons began to pull away early in the second half, as a 6-0 run made it a 50-41 lead with 17:30 left.

The big run would come at the midway point, after a Salem rebuttal closed the gap to just one point. Over a three-minute stretch, the Falcons got six points from Troy DaCosta (four of which came on put-backs) and two huge buckets from Kwame Lee (10 points) -- including a trey in the corner to cap off the run -- taking a 67-56 lead with 9:25 to go.

With a shade under seven minutes left, Jones drained a pull-up from the foul line, extending the lead to its largest of the contest at 71-59.

But Salem State would not quit, and, with the help of four points from Faison (25 points, 14 rebounds), closed the hole to seven points with 3:40 left. With three minutes to go, the Falcons' lead was just 74-71.

Fitchburg State extended the advantage to six points over the next couple of possessions, but with 1:40 left a Shaquan Murray free throw got the deficit back to three. Bosworth (11 points) and Murray then traded quick layups as the Falcons led 79-76 with 1:14 to go.

Fitchburg State players and coaches pose on the court after winning Saturday's MASCAC touranament championship game against Salem State.

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